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The sun is about 8 light minutes away. What is the distance in meters?

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Final answer:

The distance from Earth to the Sun is about 8 light minutes away, which is 143,900,379,840 meters, and this distance is equivalent to one astronomical unit (AU).

Step-by-step explanation:

The distance from the Earth to the Sun is about 8 light minutes away. Knowing that light travels at 299,792,458 meters per second, and there are 60 seconds in a minute, we can calculate this distance in meters. One light-minute is thus equal to 299,792,458 meters/second * 60 seconds/minute = 17,987,547,480 meters. Therefore, 8 light-minutes is 17,987,547,480 meters/light-minute * 8 light-minutes = 143,900,379,840 meters. This distance is also equivalent to one astronomical unit (AU), which is the average distance between Earth and the Sun.

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